The transcript from the U.S. Special Counsel -vs- Paul Manafort has been released (full pdf below). The entire transcript of the arguments between the Special Counsel lawyers, Paul Manafort Lawyers and Federal Judge T.S. Ellis III are well worth reading.

As noted yesterday Judge Ellis is the first legal entity to identify the origin of the special counsel investigative authority as a troubling issue. This is likely to become a much bigger story as people catch on to the ramifications.

It is only now coming to light how Asst. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein essentially appointed the Special Counsel to take over the counterintelligence investigation originally begun by the FBI in 2016. Also previously unknown: part of the initiating mandate included the special counsel being granted use of a sketchy FISA Court Title-1 surveillance warrant initially applied against Carter Page in October 2016.

Asst. AG Rod Rosenstein gave the special counsel the counterintelligence investigation and also gave them FISA Title-1 surveillance warrant authority; which allowed Robert Mueller to retrieve all communications (e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g) belonging to any person, entity or group, within two-hops of former unofficial campaign aide Carter Page. By extension this covered almost all the campaign officials, and also most of the Trump administration.

This is a critical point often misunderstood. When Mueller was appointed in May 2017, they began a criminal investigation (Title 3) by taking over the FBI counterintelligence investigation (Title 1). By design the counter-intel structure meant the special counsel had access to the entire gamut of active surveillance on almost every official in the Trump Administration; and every official in congress – without having to get a search warrant.

Ordinarily, under U.S. Title-3 criminal statute the investigative body, U.S. Attorney or Special Counsel, would need to go before a judge to swear out the reasoning for a search warrant and prove probable cause. Because the special counsel took Title-1 investigative authority (counterintelligence operation), they subverted domestic search and seizure protections applicable toward U.S. persons having nothing to do with foreign intelligence.

This melding of Title-1 and Title-3 legal authority is essentially what underpins Judge Ellis’s questioning. Judge Ellis began asking, and proving, that a 2005 and 2007 tax and banking case against Paul Manafort had nothing to do with a 2017 counterintelligence investigation about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Digging into this odd framework results in the judge demanding the U.S. Attorney to reconcile/explain the origination of the special counsel investigation (2017); and the instructions therein; against the background of the case before him (Manafort), which has nothing to do with the originating mandate of the special counsel (2016 election matters).

The entire back-and-forth is well worth a read. It’s quite interesting, because there’s likely to be precedent established here.

Right from the outset the court begins questioning the entire premise of the special counsel’s expanded authority. Page #4:

The resulting exchange goes on for quite some time, generally circling back to the central issue. What is the originating authority of this investigation? and how that that specific authority apply to a case that has nothing to do with Russian election interference matters.

To defend their position the special counsel team was trying to reconcile how their May 2017 investigative mandate contains more instructions than outlined to the public.

On Page 32 of the transcript, while trying to specify how the initiating special counsel mandate has bearing upon a decades-old banking/tax case, U.S. Attorney Dreeben tells Judge Ellis the detailed instructions were delivered in person:

Special Counsel Robert Mueller began his investigation of Russian interference and the possibility of Trump campaign collusion, right where the 2016 and 2017 FBI counterintelligence operation left-off. This is additionally supported by reviewing the original investigative instructions as outlined by Rod Rosenstein the day Robert Mueller was appointed as Special Counsel:

The key phrase here is: “to serve as Special Counsel to oversee the previously-confirmed FBI investigation of Russian government efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election”… Here, Rosenstein is clearly instructing Robert Mueller to pick-up the former Counterintelligence Investigation previously headed by FBI Asst. Director of Counterintelligence Bill Priestap, and his #2 FBI Agent Peter Strzok.

So there we have the three areas of direct authority: ¹Links or coordination between the Russian Government and the campaign of Donald Trump. ²Matters that may arise from the investigation of the Russian government and the campaign of Donald Trump. And ³other matters within the scope of 28 C.F.R. § 600.4(a). [<- ie. ‘Jurisdiction‘]

So there’s the instructions to Robert Mueller and his team on May 17th, 2017.

As an outcome of this May 2017 reassignment of investigative authority, Mueller took over from Bill Priestap. The Special Counsel took over the investigation from the FBI.

Without the July 18th 2017 FISA extension (provided by AAG Rod Rosenstein), Robert Mueller would not have predicate investigative authority to reach into the accounts of his targets and extract their personal communication. Mueller would have needed to go to court for a search warrant; he is conducting a criminal investigation; he would have needed probable cause. However, by applying the 2016 extended FISA Title-1 warrant, the Mueller special counsel used the previously granted legal authority from the FISA Court to extract all the information they wanted to review.

This is the issue explained by Representative Louie Gohmert at the beginning of this interview. WATCH:

Manafort’s attorney said to the judge at the hearing that Rosenstein was a “stickler” for writing memos.

Show us the memos, Rod. Let’s see what process you employed to determine that a Special Counsel was warranted, and what process you employed to expand the investigation to everything Manafort ever did … AFTER you raided his house

If you look at the court file that Sundance posted, you’ll see the name “Andrew Weissmann”, who was present in court the other day. Anything that Weissmann is involved in is suspect. Sean Hannity has done a great job of covering all of the big legal cases that Weissmann prosecuted and had the verdicts overturned. As Hannity pointed out, the accounting firm of Arthur Anderson was destroyed, thousands of good people lost their jobs, innocent people were maliciously prosecuted, who later had their verdicts overturned, all because Weissmann plays dirty, including withholding exculpatory evidence from the defense, and is known for not following the law.

I want to thank Mueller for choosing Weissmann to be a member of his team. They are now being exposed for being corrupt, not following the law, such as this case for not using Title 3 warrants instead of a Title 1 FISA warrant, to prosecute a person already investigated years ago and not charged. Had they applied for a Title 3 warrant, they would have had to provide probable cause, which they couldn’t, because the case had already been investigated over ten years ago and no charges were brought then, and the case has NOTHING to do with the Russian Interference investigation. The Judge hit the nail right on the head as to what they are up to. Manafort will be vindicated and so will General Flynn.

As for Andrew Weissmann, he needs to be disbarred. I hope that Manafort’s attorney files a formal complaint against Weissmann so that it happens. The only time that POS belongs in a courtroom, is in front of a judge for trial and sentencing, for the crimes he has committed.

It’s getting harder and harder to believe that 1) Rosenstein is a white hat playing complex strategy. In fact, it really looks like 2) the original thesis that he, Mueller, and Comey are all engaged in cover up and deflection for Uranium One fits the facts far better. I reserve the right to be pleasantly surprised but RR really is coming out as the rodent that he physically resembles.

2 things convinced me RR ain’t no white hat. 1. The 2nd, undisclosed “scope memo” AFTER the Manafort raid. 2. His testimony (last Dec. I think) before Congress regarding the scope of the investigation and his role in it.

Long time lurker and can’t register but can post, what? Anyway, Hi all treepers! It now makes one wonder if Sessions was a plant to begin with even on the campaign trail. Since he is doing nothing to stop the witch hunt. He is a long time swamp member and as such seems to be protecting the weasels in the house and senate. A few Pubs in that I’m sure.

No wonder Sessions does not know what is going on right under his nose. It’s super DUPER secret and only Rosy, Mueller and Comey know. Sessions is used to everybody in the Senate knowing “secrets” and leaking them.

A Sen. or Congressman should never, ever, be appointed AG or FBI Director and it’s waaaaay past time the damn lawyers stop being appointed as FBI director. Some deep state corrupt b@#$%&% talked Trump into appointing the “swamp fixers” to these important Justice posts.

Judge Ellis type would have made an outstanding AG. He would have put a stop to this crap long ago.

Rudy calling Mueller an “honorable” man is just Rudy being the politician that he is. One has to remember that Rudy is a very good career politician and politicians play this game. It’s like when Senators refer to another Sen. as my “good friend” when in fact that good friend is trying to destroy him politically.

It would be very interesting to separate and question them thoroughly on what these supposed “verbal instructions” were, word for word, and then compared… not to mention the legality of such absurdity.

It’s just like “super secret double probation” in Animal House. I swear Mueller is acting just the weasel Dean in that movie. Trump is Bluto, Pence is Otter, etc. think I’ll watch it again just for a good laugh. Mueller is that little shit Neidermeyer.

Mollie sites a eight or ten news articles, based upon leaks from Mueller’s team, siting intelligence community intercepts of communication between Manafort ond Russians. As part of the discovery process, Manafort’s attorneys asked for the evidence of this communication. “We have no evidence to show you” was Mueller’s response. The stories were all lies.

Typical Mueller tactic – try the case by unsubstantiated leaks to the press.

This is so outrageous. I would be horrified no matter who was the target of this persecution. It is unethical, the press is complicit, but for those supposedly representing the United States government, it cannot be allowed. I think Mueller has blinders on, is being egged on by Weissmann, and has lost all perspective or common sense.

Yep. He has ALWAYS been a snake and a fixer for the Clintons. Same for his two co-conspirators Rosenstein and Comey. They all know exactly what they are doing. What we all should be really dissed about is that Sessions or any AG is allowing it to happen.

Two points. WHERE IS BLM? This is what they have been grousing about for years. Corrupt FBI, and DOJ – planted evidence, sketchy tactics, manufactured crimes… and yet, the BLM is MIA or DOA.

TWO – Rudy couldn’t bring himself to list Mueller’s crimes… like Gowdy, still insists Mueller is an ‘honorable man”….. so which is it? The facts point to a monstrous apex predator who has caused the death of innocents in prison…. a malicious, and corrupt prosecutor.

So WHICH IS IT? …. Half of America is outraged by this man’s reach, and reputation.
The Other half could suffer his wrath in the future…. he is an equal opportunity death star.

Quite honestly, I don’t know what to make of Beaureguard. I want to believe he is “up to something” but I am having an extremely hard time giving him the benefit of the doubt. My only respite with Beaureguard is that I trust my President.

The only reason he is still there is that the house/sen will not approve another AG and have stated as much, so they pushed Trump to have to keep Sessions they are all guilty in this mess. I bet he talks with Mich and lyin Ryan and they know how well Trumps impeachment is coming along.

I have seen Sessions interact with Rosie. It looks as if Sessions is afraid of him. Rosie IS THE LAW. Which means that Sessions is compromised and Rosie knows every last detail of it and how to ruin Sessions family at will. Just a guess here. Nothing else explains Sessions inaction and allowing all of this to happen. It MUST be about self preservation.
Trump will soon fire both of them soon hopefullyl

Sessions recused himself from the matter and therefore has no control and little influence over Rosenstein regarding the investigation or Special Counsel. Sessions complied with DOJ regulations and recused himself because of being associated with the Trump campaign as required by those regulations. My opinion is that Sessions is not a swamp critter. Sessions was the first and only Senator to support Trump from the beginning and that support was critical to getting Trump traction. The issue of recusing himself came up because of the confirmation hearings. The Deep State was prepared for Sessions’ nomination. If Trump and his brain-trust of advisors thought Sessions should NOT have breeched the subject of recusal, they should have replaced him at the time. I remain convinced that the Trump team, being unaware of the extent of the conspiracy against him at that time, felt OK with a recusal because they HAD NO IDEA what lay in store for them. Sessions’ action of hands-off Mueller and Rosenstein at this point is driven by the political reality that (1) Trump firing them would create more havoc and destruction than letting the situation proceed at this point and (2) any antagonism by a recused Attorney General against them at this point is more than counter-productive. I strongly believe that everyone will be surprised when it is revealed that Jeff Sessions’ acts behind the scene have supported POTUS in winning the fight against the swamp. I believe that Jeff Sessions is an honorable man. My opinion.

Jeff Sessions is an honorable man in a very old-fashioned sense (though not as old as Shakespeare’s irony). The swamp cabal knew this, and used his honor to manipulate him into recusal as “the honorable thing”. (Al Franken’s attacks in the Senate were part of the scheme). Ruthless people with no honor can have their way with men of conscience and self-limitation.

Rosenstein is Muellers facilitator and Sessions is Rosensteins enabler. Sessions is like the guard or protection that is told to take a walk and have a cigarette while the theft takes place…. not directly executing the coup but a willing and conscious enabler of the coup. He was like likely told that all he has to do is recuse himself and they will do the rest, that he doesnt need to know or do anything more than that.

Synicle, when you have some of the greatest legal minds in the country all saying that Sessions has the authority to step in and put a stop to everything Rosenstein and Mueller are doing that is OUTSIDE the scope of the Russian Election Interference Investigation, that right there speaks realms about Sessions allowing this to go too far off of the reservation. The fact that Rosenstein is a WITNESS regarding the employment termination of former FBI Director James Comey, who himself is now being investigated, which is grounds for Rosenstein recusing himself from this investigation but hasn’t, also gives Sessions the authority to step in, remove Rosenstein, and at the very least, appoint someone else to oversee this mess.

Sessions IS an ineffective U.S. Attorney General. He has allowed the DOJ, along with the FBI, to obstruct justice because of their failure to turn over documents requested, and then subpoenaed by the House, and when they did, they were redacted so as to once again obstruct justice. The nonsense about the redaction being done in the interests of national security is just that, it’s nonsense. Remember the Nunes Memo? They said the same thing about it, that it shouldn’t be released in the interests of national security, with Rosenstein even going so far as to go visit Lying Paul Ryan, unsuccessfully trying to persuade him to intervene to stop it. Well, that didn’t happen, and nothing was divulged in Nunes Memo that hurt our national security. Anyway, Sessions CLEARLY has the authority to order his subordinates to fully cooperate with the House and Senate committees who has legal oversight of the DOJ/FBI. The most he’s done so far, is to reprimand Wray for moving to slow with the FBI’s review of documents requested by Congress. As for Rosenstein’s lack of cooperation, again, Sessions has the authority to order him to comply. The fact that Rosenstein thumbs his nose at Congress tells you right there that Sessions is not in control of his subordinates.

Sessions has to know what the hell is going on at the DOJ, but yet he has done nothing to get the DOJ’s house in order, to put a stop to the rogue behavior. If Sessions, isn’t aware of what’s happening in his own house, then that’s further justification for his removal. If anything, Sessions should be working overtime to rid his house of the Obama holdovers, who aren’t interested in serving justice, but are there to serve the deep state. After this mess is finally dealt with, and all the rogue players involved are hopefully prosecuted, a new A.G. and Deputy A.G. are needed. We, The People, deserve no less. They are there to serve We, The People, not the deep state stinky and slimy swamp creatures in D.C., including that hag, Hila The Hun.

If I’m wrong about Sessions should there be employment terminations, indictments and successful prosecutions against ALL swamp creatures involved with the conspiracy to protect Clinton and bring down President Trump, I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong. Until that happens, I’m sticking to my guns that Sessions isn’t the right person to be our nation’s Attorney General.

Those who keep saying Sessions must do the slow walk to get the cases air-tight are correct. However, I will NEVER understand why on-going misdeeds , like conflicts of interest, are not called-out when they happen. Why did Sessions allow the use of an Act 1 FISA when the case really called for an Act 3? Can’t he correct “mistakes’ as they happen, without making it something that needs to become a court matter?

Brh82, I totally agree with you about slow walking the cases to make sure they are air-tight. Sessions should have caught the Title 1/Title 3 issues. Makes you wonder who he has as advisors, or how much oversight he is doing. Rosenstein needs to be put on a leash and reigned in, including being recused from the case because of the Comey situation.

I really think that Sessions just isn’t the right person to be I.G., regardless of how much of a great guy he is. I know lots of good people, but that doesn’t make them qualified to hold positions of authority when they don’t have the expertise to back them up, even if they did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. lol

Just get a special prosecutor for the Uranium One crime. Since it involves Rosenstein and Mueller we might see things change. Sessions has let Rosenstein get out of control. Cannot say I am not disappointed in him.

I am horribly disappointed in him. He stated up front he would prosecute Hillary for anything. Wrong move out of the chute. Now he will not appoint a 2nd special counsel. He will not stand up to Rosie and Mulehead even in the face of illegal scope and attempted prosecution of Mannafort and Flynn. He is directly responsible for a large part of what is happening today. When Gomert, Nunes and others come after you with contempt or impeachment threats you are not doing something right.

Going back through the transcript of the Judge Ellis/Asst. Solicitor General Dreeben exchanges, and one thing stands out.

High end attorney’s study and profile judges to shape arguments to fit the tendencies of the judges. Arguments before the SCOTUS are famous for this. So how the hell could the Asst Solicitor General of the US, who does criminal trials before the SCOTUS, not know Judge Ellis was currently involved in espionage cases?

Because Asst Solicitor General Dreeben’s arguments about not letting Judge Ellis see the unredacted instructions from Asst AG Rosenstein to SC Mueller certainly point to that as being the case.

Either Dreeben had very little time to prepare, and he was given someone else’s arguments at the last minute, or he did them himself and didn’t look. By professional training, “studying the judge” is Dreeben’s reason for professional existence

Arguing about classification of the Asst. AG Rosenstein authorization document to S.C. Mueller the way he did before Judge Ellis was a crash and burn level of professional incompetence that hurt not only the reputation of the DoJ legal staff, but of Asst Solicitor General of the US Dreeben himself.

Nothing we have learned about Mueller over the past year should cause anyone to think that he hires for competence or is capable of competent supervision himself.

You are entirely correct — it was abysmal preparation that neither Dreeben or anyone else on his so-called team did not know the background of the judge or even that the court has a facility for classified documents.

You think it is something like paying Steele less than Nellie Ohr because the Steele hire was just for his name and old position as head of MI6 Russia desk? They also hired Mueller because he is a ruthless, conscience-less blackguard.

I just realized that Asst Solicitor General Dreeben did a lot more than just *HURT* Mueller.

He made the SC Mueller prosecution a laughing stock by channeling the movie ANIMAL HOUSE with his “Secret Verbal instruction for the S.C. he can’t show the court.”

Judge Ellis was being EXTREMELY KIND to the DoJ in court. Had Ellis mentioned “Double Secret Probation” in his take down of Asst Solicitor General Dreeben, Dreeben, Mueller and Rosenstein would have been professionally destroyed,

See:

[Dean Wormer’s plotting to get rid of Delta House]

Greg Marmalard: But Delta’s already on probation.

Dean Vernon Wormer: They are? Well, as of this moment, they’re on DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION!

Dreeben is hailed as the most brilliant and knowledgeable criminal lawyer in America.

Former and current Justice Department officials say that Mueller’s recruitment of Dreeben shows how serious he is about the investigation and signals complexities in the probe.

“Michael is the most brilliant and most knowledgeable federal criminal lawyer in America – period,” said Walter Dellinger, a law professor at Duke University School of Law and acting solicitor general for the 1996-1997 term of the Supreme Court.

“I learned early on in my time as acting [solicitor general] that there was no point of ever thinking of second-guessing Michael on a matter of federal criminal law, because he just knew more than I did or could ever know,” Dellinger said. “He’s a straight shooter and is held in the greatest esteem by the FBI and lawyers in U.S. attorneys offices all over the country.”

From

Former and current Justice Department officials say that Mueller’s recruitment of Dreeben shows how serious he is about the investigation and signals complexities in the probe.

At this point, Sessions needs to be delivered a monogramed samurai sword, with which he can commit Hari Kari. His cowardly recusal has initiated this entire chaos in the balance of powers; and allowed traitor Rosenstein to take control of the DOJ. Enough is enough!

How in the world did I miss this? From Carter Page’s letter to James Comey in September of 2016, published in the Washington Post:

“Having interacted with members of the U.S. intelligence community including the FBI and
CIA for many decades,….”

Pages’ letter to James Comey was basically a threat, warning him to to go away, you do not want me talking in public about my past. I am fully convinced that Page came to the Trump campaign as a plant so be used at a later date.

That would explain a plausible actor and method for employment of the Insurance policy as the campaign unfolded, and it’s additional use as information gathering device post election. If Page was a plant, it would make the FISA surveilance process easier to manipulate in the long term as information could be tailored to a manufactured scenario.
It’s analogous to how Clapper, Brennan and Comey operated in getting the Clinton Obama bed pee dossier public. Comey was the insider who manipulated the facts in the Jan private meeting with Trump while the Clinton Obama bed pee Dossier was leaked to CNN and Buzzfeed after Comey created the hook. A tailored scenario. If Page could be employed similarly, more manipulation could be manufactured to be used to get further FISA authorization, and eventually that info could be used in the post election coup.

Even if Page was not being used as an asset to compromise Trump, his long work with the FBI and CIA provides an explanation of his contacts with Russians. Ridiculous for the FBI to pursue a FISA warrant against their own operative, who they could surveille at will. That is further evidence that the real purpose of the FISA warrant had nothing to do with Carter Page.

Page wasn’t a plant. The foreign agent who approached him in a bar was the plant. Go talk to that guy for a minute, here’s some cash. Then a 3 deep fisa warrant and President Trump and his team were all swept up. Easy peasy.

One more point; I fail to see any evidence that ROSEY is a white or gray hat. Months ago then the Strozck page texts emerged, presumably authorized by ROSEY and released via OIG, I thought it possible ROSEY was a double agent and possible good guy. That seems less and less likely. Same for Mulehead. Unless this is one of the greatest deceptions in history, their hats are dark black to me.
Their mission was to hide the Insurance operation, and they have both been caught.
If I’m correct, they are conspirators in the sedition.

Doesn’t this give Mueller the ability to find all the traitors and “resistors” in the Trump administration as well as all the criminals in Congress? It’s clever enough that Trump could have devised it himself. Under Mueller white (or gray) hat scenario:
“Asst. AG Rod Rosenstein gave the special counsel … authority; which allowed Robert Mueller to retrieve all communications (e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g) belonging to any person, entity or group, within two-hops of former unofficial campaign aide Carter Page. By extension this covered ALMOST ALL CAMPAIGN OFFICIALS, and also MOST OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION… By design the counter-intel structure meant the special counsel had access to the entire gamut of active surveillance on ALMOST EVERY OFFICIAL IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION; and EVERY OFFICIAL IN CONGRESS – without having to get a search warrant.”

I get the surveillance of the administration part, Nancy.
Educate us on the surveillance of Congress theory. Is it because via the existing FISA 1 authority, if a Congress critter contacted a Trump official that critter and his contacts thereafter could be surveiled?

So are you saying that the President designed a scheme to inflict financial and personal ruin on people who believed in his agenda and worked on his campaign? That he is allowing mueller to run amok to get to “resistors”? Where is the honor here? Where does Flynn get his reputation back? Where does Manafort’s wife get her peace if mind back? Where does the President’s supporters get our victory back? The President surveiling Congress? I am no fan of Congress but isn’t this what we are learning odumbo did and are all upset about?

I have been as patient as anybody wanting to believe that these traitors have at least a nano-gram of patriotism running through their veins. This is beyond some extremely secret plan to take down the Swamp…these a$$holes ARE the Swamp gatekeepers…their last line of defense!

I have supported AG Jeff Sessions the entire time. I do not want to pretend to know what is in his heart. However. why has he not stepped in? Is he waiting for the public outrage to give political cover as to not damage the midterms?

Well Mr. Sessions…I think the wait is over. I believe I can speak for many of my fellow Treepers and Americans who have held faith in you that you are a patriot…

The plan was never to indict President Trump. The plan is for Mueller to file a report. It will be full of nuttery and half baked innuendo that would be laughed out of even the 9th circuit. But it’s never meant to see the inside of a courthouse. Congress And the enemedia will pretend it into credibility. Meanwhile the epublicans are moving to throw the house to the democrats and setting up impeachment. The Mueller report is designed to justify this.

Now with this report from SD. There is an 80 percent chance that Sessions is a black hat(up from 75%), if he continues to do nothing by the end of this month, he will become a black hat. What a pity! Sessions knows everything! Yet this all continues.

“He is still there” only because Trump has been boxed in by congress re. the firing of Sessions. Congress knows that Rosenstein and Mueller have free reign to get Trump and they are happy about it and are a part of it. If Sessions is replaced and a new AG is one
who will do the right thing, he will fire Rosy and Mueller immediately after being sworn in. Even if it is just an acting ag.

But if judge Ellis puts a stop to Mueller’s illegally using the FISA warrant it will be grounds for Trump to fire them all and I believe he will do it. Judge Ellis may also know it and will therefore act accordingly.

Actually McConnell is holding pro forma sessions to keep the Senate technically in session so Trump can’t even make recess appointments. If he fires Rosenstein the next snake in line slithers into place.

Once again, very disturbing behavior by Mueller and the DOJ. No written instructions, because the matter is so very sensitive; this is all about national security, you know, so I cannot tell you what I am doing and I don’t need a warrant (because no criminal investigation and I have FISA approval) to spy on people. But wait–my no warrant powers now also encompass a criminal investigation, and to h-ll with the Constitution. See how that works?

Kiss your civil rights goodbye if no one puts a stop to this. Star Chamber can’t be far off.

Its a dark moment for the country. Those in power continue to cover up their illegalities. And while the people see this clearly, the media continues to blinds others as to what is really going on. Our only white hats are those silent men and women in gvt, those few in Congress that supports the constitution and our President. Note to Sessions: its still not too late, unrecuse, fire Rosey and shut down the phoney witchhunt. The country needs you Mr. Sessions. The country needs you.

That’s the whole point of it. Punishment. Anybody who supported Trump has to be punished. Tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, time off work to be questioned, time to prepare so you don’t get tripped up all to answer questions that they already know the answers to. If they had the recording of the Flynn/Kislyak phone call why did they need to ask him what he said? How about a good lawyer, want to work for President Trump now that your door might get kicked in and all your other clients records seized? Hope Hicks has now paid more in legal fees than she earned during the campaign and her work for the White house combined. Where’s Manaforts partner Podesta? No Trump support, no public whippings for him.

So I read that Nunes will move to hold AG Sessions in contempt? I doubt Sessions even knew that Nunes was requesting the information from him. Rosey is in charge and continuing the coup against this Administration and against Congress and Sessions is letting him. I predict that as they get more desperate, people will hear leaks of some foibles of those in Congress mostly the House. As for the Senate? They are playing their violins as Rome burns.

“You can’t go away when you’re under arrest.”
“That’s how it seems,” said K. “And why am I under arrest?” he then asked.
“That’s something we’re not allowed to tell you. Go into your room and wait there. Proceedings are underway and you’ll learn about everything all in good time.”

Franz Kafka, The Trial

Nihil sub sole novum. Except that Kafka wrote The Trial to sound an alarm in 1925. It was never meant to be an instruction manual for 2018.

No. The transcrip shows that Ellis said that the SC could submit it on an “Ex parte basis.” Meaning, the Judge and the SC would know about it but not the Defense. If the Judge sees something in the Letter that requires the attention of MANAFORT, he could then order the DOJ to share it.

When you put the name “T.S. Ellis III” into your browser, it comes up with information on T.S. Ellis III, but the photo of the African-American IS NOT T.S. Ellis—-it is a photo of William J. Jefferson!!!!!

All this blatantly illegal activity makes me really sick. I should stop reading because my blood pressure is getting higher and higher and my thoughts darker and darker. God damn them all to hell indeed.

There are no words strong enough to express how much I hate and despise Sessions, Rosenstein, Mueller and the rest of the traitorous scum infesting the Department of Injustice. Spit.

I’m a 50’s man in a post modern world, so maybe what I observe is the new normal- BUT these aggressive, dismissive, bossy, impolite women news barkers really get on my last nerve. I don’t know who this woman is because I cut off my cable TV, but my first impression is she’s cut of the same cloth as Me-again Kelly. Ghomert had some cogent and thorough answers. She missed his points by talking over him. Ugh!

Judge T. S. Ellis III is known for his “inquisitiveness, thoroughness, doggedness, and strong sense of justice” according to Paul Mirengoff. This article states that he has been known for these characteristics throughout his career.

It is encouraging to have a person of character judging one of Mueller’s cases instead of a make it up as you go along swamp type person.

I apologize to everyone on the board/thread that this is off-topic (kind of) but I’ve been caught in the infuriating and ultimately-futile “sign in loop” on Scribd for nearly a year now. I primarily use Firefox and have whitelisted it in ad-blocker, have all other add-ons disabled, etc; tried various different browsers all w/same results: successfully signed in, returning to prior page and…..please sign in to download document AD NAUSEUM. Not an isolated incident for me and have been lucky about 25% of the time finding these pdf’s on alternate sites but not this particular one I’d very much like to read. Sorry for the rambling note – just curious if anyone else experiences this routinely?

Placed this on the Sessions contempt post since it’s late to put out here. Just got through the Judge Ellis hearing doc
Undiscussed pro – dismal points on transcript of Judge Ellis conducting Manafort Hearing

point is guesswork on what Ellis’s has in mind
1. Asked local AUSA to be there – point – Jurisdiction
2. Served (LEAD) on the council of judges for eliminating the Independent Council – point Jurisdiction & Constitutional powers
3. Says Ukrainians probably think Ukraine is different than Russia so far UK is part of the indictment but where is Russia – point – wrong Fact for Indicment
(Manafort was working to remove Uk further from Russia and join EU)
5. Asked if Rosenstein recused himself – point- procedural if SC is making procedural DOJ case for his other questions than where is this follow through on recusal procedure
6. SC deputy l goes on to make case that Deputy AG is politically accountable and can be fired and further that outcome of the IC reviews was it’s elimination and that the SC is better because it has someone who can be fired by the POTUS p22 -point-Contstitutional powers
7.Judge Ellis is skeptical that even the redacted portions do not give the SC JURSIDICTION to act no matter what is redacted. – point – jurisdiction
8 About himself judge notes his patience. Point – Dismissal likely deciding with or without prejudice

Honestly – my pea-brain is full-to-the-brim.
Soon, I’ll have no recollection of how to do the most mundane tasks like tie my shoes, or brush my teeth, because I’ve had to brain-dump so much memory, so I could cram-in all of this stuff !!!!
#MAGA … Exposing the Leftist-Cult and all their shenanigans 24/7/365.

this is why jeff sessions refused a special counsel on the fisa abuse. they are still using a fisa warrant to investigate trump! where is the head of counter-intelligence, preistap? he is silent. where is the head of fbi, wray? he is also silent. where is rest of congress? now we see why rosenstein signed a shady fisa warrant renewal. jeff sessions is officially covering for rosensteins conflicts of interests and bias. he even threaten to quit if they remove rod. jeff is complicit to both fisa abuse and mueller probe. this is outrageous. even trumps own people are against him. its obvious that our doj is compromised and they have multiple conflicts of interests at best. its more than just political bias here, its abuse of power and corruption.